Cigarette maker



Oct. 10, 1950 HgRMAN 2,525,548

CIGARETTE MAKER Filed Oct. 27, 1948 IN V EN TOR. Harr z QJZZeI-manPatented Oct. 10, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE My invention relatesto a new and useful cigarette maker, particularly a hand actuated deviceto be employed by a person for rolling individual cigarettes whendesired.

One object of the invention is to provide an exceedingly simple,inexpensive and rather small apparatus comprising two cooperating partsthat will permit an inexperienced person to readily roll a substantiallyperfect cigarette after a few experimental trials.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cigarette makerconsisting of a flexible channel shaped forming member or body, closedat one end by a pliable or compressible end wall, and a winder in theform of a resilient clamp and carrying means to temporarily close theother end of said forming member or body while a portion of said winderis within said forming member.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for readilyopening the clamping jaws of the winder by pressure applied to saidmeans, and the jaws closing upon release of pressure from said means.

With the above and other objects in view this invention consists of thedetails of construction and combination of elements hereinafter setforth and then designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains may understand how to make and use the same I will describeits construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanyingdrawing forming a part hereof, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view ofthe forming member or body in open position to receive a cigarettepaper, the winder and tobacco.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the winder in a closed position.

Fig. 3 is a side view thereof with the jaws opened.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the two elements of the cigarette makerin cooperative relation and a cigarette paper in position to receivetobacco.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of Fig. 4 with tobacco in the paperprior to being rolled.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing an approximate position of the formingmember and one condition that may prevail during the making of acigarette.

Fig. '7 is a central longitudinal sectional view of Fig. l with thewinder in elevation.

In carrying out the invention as herein embodied It represents theforming member or body which is produced from flexible elastomerics,especially non-metallic plastics, thin sheet metal or 3 Claims. (Cl.131-58) other suitable material having sufiicient stiffness to befashioned into a trough or U-shape in cross section and normally retainsuch configuration or capable of returning to the normal shape after Thelongitudinal edges of said forming member may be left plain and straightor they may be rolled outward to constitute flanges II and, if desired,these flanges may be reinforced by rods 1:!2 of wood, metal or othersuitable substances. One end of the forming member or body I0 is closedby a pliable or compressible end wall l3 of sponge rubber or equivalentthereof which, preferably, is fixed to the walls of said forming tmemberor body and located within the chamber adjacent the finger-hold is adisc ll of material capable of compression and expansion, such asrubber, and said disc it functions as a temporary closure or endwall forthe normally open end of the forming member or body it when the jaws ofthe winder are in said body or forming member. This disc may also assistin urging the winder jaws towards their closed positions.

The jaws IE of the winder are held together at the rear ends thereof bymeans It which, for purposes of illustration only, is shown as a ringencircling the jaws contiguous the finger-hold I5. The jaws are fastenedtogether by the means IS in spaced relation to the disc I1 and betweenthe two locations is positioned an operating lever l 9 for opening orseparating the free ends of the jaws. The operating lever here shown hasa portion, oblong in cross section, situated between the jaws within thearea between the disc I! and the fastening means 18. When the shorterdimension of the portion between the jaws is in a plane at right anglesto the axes of said jaws the latter will be closed as depicted in Fig. 2but when the operating lever is actuated to rotate the portion betweenthe jaws, a larger dimension, which may be the diagonal, will bepositioned at right angles to the aXes of the jaws and cause them toopen, as shown in Fig. 3.

In practice, the operating lever is rotated for opening the jaws of thewinder and a cigarette paper 2!] is inserted between said jaws andadjusted until said jaws are adjacent to and parallel with one of thelonger edges of the paper, at which time the operating lever is releasedand the jaws will spring shut to clamp the paper in the winder.

The winder and paper are now placed in the body or forming member withthe disc I! in engagement with the normall open end of said body orforming member to temporarily close said normally open end. That portionof the paper in the body or forming member will assume a trough-likeshape and tobacco 2! is placed therein, as shown in Fig. 5. Next, thebod or forming member it is squeezed, as between the thumb and first twofingers or the operators one hand, until the longitudinal free edges ofsaid body or forming member approach one another, as shown in Fig. 6.The degree of pressure applied when squeezing the body or forming memberwill determine the compactness of the finished cigarette. While the bodyor forming member is under compression, Fig. 6, the winder i4 is turnedwithin said body or forming member by the operators other hand so thatthe cigarette paper is drawn into the body or forming member through theslot provided by the adjacent longitudinal edges thereof. Just beforethe rear edge of the paper enters the body or forming member the windingoperations are halted, said edge is moistened and the Winding operationsthen completed to cause the rear edge of the paper to overlap and adhereto another portion of said paper. Finally, the pressure on the body orforming member is released and it will spring open permitting the winderwith the cigarette thereon to be lifted out and upon opening the jaws ofthe winder the latter may be withdrawn from the finished cigarette. Itis thought well to note the amount of overlap of the paper will dependupon the quantity of tobacco used which will also govern the thicknessor diameter of the cigarette.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details ofconstruction herein shown and described as these may be varied withinthe scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

1. A cigarette maker comprising two cooperating members, one memberbeing a body or form ing member and the other member constituting awinder, said body or forming member consisting of a trough shaped sheetof flexible material and a pliable end wall closing one end of thetrough, and said winder including a pair of resilient jaws to grip asheet of cigarette paper and while in the forming member to coil saidpaper about tobacco placed thereon Within said forming member, means onsaid jaws to temporarily close the other end of the forming member, andmeans to open said jaws to receive the cigarette paper and release thewinder therefrom.

2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the means to temporarilyclose the other end of the forming member is a compressible disc whichwill permit opening of the winder jaws.

3. In a device of the kind described, in combination, a flexible formingmember of troughlike formation and a pliable end wall fixed in one endthereof, and a winder comprised of a fingerhold, a pair of resilientjaws projecting from said finger-hold, an operating lever to open saidjaws and a compressible disc on said jaws to temporarily close the otherend of the forming member when the jaws are placed in said formingmember, said winder with a cigarette paper clamped between the jawsadapted to be placed in said forming member with the paper channeled toreceive tobacco and then turned within said forming member to wind thepaper about the tobacco.

HARRY O. HERMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 266,439 Daniels, Jr. 1 Oct. 24,1882 496,475 Evers May 2, 1893 643,043 Davidson Feb. 6, 1900 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 188,237 Great Britain Nov. 9, 1922

